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Some people dare not to part with their classic car. These motorists take pride in their 1969 Mustang, 1972 Plymouth Barracuda, 1967 Camaro, or some other muscle or street performance vehicle. Cars nearly as old as their owners require upgrades to continue to operate reliably. Here is our list of four essential updates to make a classic car road-ready.

1. Disc Brakes

Older cars use drum brakes. These brakes are susceptible to wear and tear from heat build-up. Stress factors, such as abruptly stopping at a high speed or braking during a steep descent, wear down drum brakes. Replace your drums with the modern disc brake. Our auto service recommends enhancing the conversion with a dual master cylinder brake for added durability.

2. Electric Fan

Swap out the mechanical fan with an electrical fan. Mechanical fans rely on the speed of the motor to operate and cool the engine. This means the fan can’t operate optimally when your car is idling in bumper-to-bumper traffic. This puts the engine at risk of overheating, especially on a summer day.

3. Electronic Ignition

Cars manufactured before the mid-70s used a points ignition system. This ignition type employs electrical coils that deteriorate over time and requires frequent cleaning and tuning. The modern electronic ignition is far more reliable.

4. Power Steering (Optional)

Power steering is not really essential; most drivers can operate their vehicle just fine without it. However, older cars without power steering require a bit of muscle power when making turns around tight or sharp corners.

These guy are amazing. My husband and I JUST left their shop and I had to immediately give a review. The time and effort they took to install our lift on our 4runner, was unparalleled to any other shop. We will be loyal customers and would recommend them 100% to anyone. We are very satisfied customers. It is hard to find people who are as meticulous as Jason. He has earned our trust and we could not be any happier with his work.

Cody

5 out of 5 stars

posted 2 months ago

I never write reviews. I'm writing this review for people, like myself, who over analyze everything. My hope is to convince you to just get your car in front of Jason. He'll look at it for no cost, be thorough, explain his thinking and educate you in the process. That's what we ALL want- give us a quick, transparent, knowledgeable session on what's wrong-what are my options and costs to fix it. Long story short, after my accident my insurance wouldn't pay for the awful steering grinding/vibrations that followed mechanically after the body was restored. I take care of my truck, I do minor maintenance(oil, spark plugs, brakes) and work on it often(almost entirely blacked out). I did a total PS flush(twice) and narrowed the diagnosis down to a bad steering pump, bad steering lines, steering shaft and/or rack/pinion replacement. Jason quickly put my truck on his lift and discussed the possible reasons and options to remedy the excessive shuddering. He ruled out the rack and pinion, which I mentioned and HE could of easily included this, but didn't.
This was the largest portion of my calculated costs (total quote from another mechanic $2k). My plan was to do the work myself if the price was too high again. This still would of been $800 in parts. I ended up paying way less than that, getting my truck back same-day. He also fixed my sunroof and checked my upper/lower ball joints and gave me the OK. Jason also installed a 2.5 leveling kit from MotoFab and the truck runs and looks like she's brand new. These guys are YOUR guys. Just bring it to them. Look, if you read the entirety of this lengthy novel review, you're almost there... Just do it.

lance Shaw

5 out of 5 stars

posted 1 month ago

Took my TJ in for a regear and air lockers since they quoted me $1200 less than the well known ring and pinion shop in town. That quote from the other ring and pinion shop did not include a compressor, plumbing the airlines or mounting the switches. Scott said Northwest offroad likes to do a great job and finish what they start. On top of saving $1200 on the price of the 4.56 regear and 2 locker installations , extra work plumbing airlines and wiring/mounting switches, and the compressor that northwest performance offroad threw into the deal they also noticed my breaks where worn and replaced them no charge. They adjusted my long arm lift, after installing myself I had the axels a few degrees off from where they needed to be. They put me on the road ready to hit the mountains the next day with no worries and $1200 saved in my pocket for more jeep parts. Scott and his guys are the only shop I have ever been to that gave me far more than I feel I paid for. Don't go to the other shops that give you the lest possible for your $. Take your jeep, car or truck to Scott and he will set you up and make your hard earned money go much farther. I just can't say enough for these guys. I don't like decals on my jeep but I will sport theirs.